Volunteer Projects
Many hands make light work and ALL help is appreciated!
BCGS is entirely run by volunteers. Volunteers perform such varied tasks as answering research queries, managing and staffing the BCGS Genealogical Library and Research Centre, indexing newspapers and books, photographing Lower Mainland cemetery markers, and much more.
As a volunteer, you'll meet new people, get to know other BCGS members, learn new skills, and have some fun! You may volunteer for one event, or for a short project, or you might like to take on a regular year-round activity.
A wide range of projects are underway and need your help! Take a look at the projects below and if you see one you are interested in, please contact the Team Leader. If you have special skills or experience to offer, please let us know about those, too by contacting Eunice Robinson.
If you are interested in any project below, please contact the Team Leader
Pioneer Registry
This project can be done at home. It involves coordinating incoming information on members’ ancestors that were pioneers to British Columbia.
Contact: Sheryl Wilson
Find-a-grave
This project involves updating the cemetery lists and posting on-line the information, along with a photo of the headstone, to Find-a-Grave.
Contact: Yvette Howard
Library Volunteers
Volunteers are needed to work at the BCGS Genealogical Library in Surrey. Shifts are available for mornings and afternoons of Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Work involves helping walk-in researchers find resources in the library and checking out books.
Contact: Eunice Robinson
Cemetery Team
For those of you that like to walk around cemeteries and read the names this project is for you. It involves picking a nice bright day to photograph the headstones and make a note of the wording. These photos will later be uploaded online to Find-a-Grave.
This project is on hiatus. If you are interested, please contact: Eunice Robinson.
Memorials Project
The Memorials Project is looking for people to submit photos of a memorial. A memorial could include, but would not be limited to, a bench, stone, picnic table or a roadside cross. The intent is to create a data base that honors the memorials.
This project is on hiatus. If you are interested, please contact: Yvette Howard
BC Research Team
This project can be done at home. It involves answering query requests that come in from all over the world about researching in B.C.
Contact: Mary Turnbull
Photo courtesy of Chris Albrecht
Church Records & Index Typing
This project involves a lot of typing filling in a template.
Contact: Elizabeth Christie
Book Indexing Project
This project can be done at home. it involves reading a book that does not have an index to create an index that will be listed on the library data base.
Contact: Jacqueline Penney
Map Indexing
This project involves organizing and indexing the maps in the library. The index of the maps will be added to our online library catalogue.
Contact: Claire Belzer
Coffee Chat Facilitator
Do you have an interest in a particular area of genealogy such as First Nations, the Maritimes, Australia, Europe? Perhaps you would like to host a coffee chat. These small meetings with other like minded members are currently being held about 3 times a year over ZOOM.
Contact: Eunice Robinson
Holten Netherlands Cemetery
This project can be done at home. It involves researching the Canadian soldiers that are buried at Holten Netherlands Cemetery.
Contact: Janice Kidwell
Vertical Files
This is a project that must be done at the library. It involves sorting through several drawers of pamphlets and booklets that have been collected over the years to ensure the information in each vertical file is still relevant.
Contact: Eunice Robinson
Clippings Cabinet
This is a big project and will take a lot of volunteers. It involves scanning the newspaper clippings that have been collected over the years, making sure that they are on an index, and linking them to the scan. This is a project that can be done a little bit at a time at your own pace.
Contact: Corrine Jubb
Newspaper Indexing
There are two parts to this project. One involves photographing the birth, marriage and deaths recorded in BC Newspapers. The other part involves indexing the information and linking the photo to the index. This is one of those projects that never seems to go away since newspapers are always being published.
Contact: Linda Fleury